This world has ever been sinking down morally since the entrance of sin. It is not a process that is limited to the closing years of this age as some might think. It is true that the moral decline will accelerate in the days of the rise of the Antichrist. This is stated clearly in such places as 2 Timothy 3:1. But moral and spiritual decline has been an ongoing feature of every age. Its rate of decline may have varied throughout the ages but its inexorable continuance is undeniable. The world has been kept from sinking utterly into the mire of depravity by the restraining hand of God. There is a little phrase in Romans 1:26, which reminds us of that. "For this cause God gave them up unto vile affections," Romans 1:26. Literally, it means "He let them go". He had been holding them up but because of their kicking against His restraints He let them go. We see the world sinking today. It is a most distressing sight, especially if we see loved ones sinking down, refusing to accept the saving mercy of God. It is the duty of the believer to stand firm. On this anniversary Lord's Day, it is good to remind ourselves of this central and paramount duty.